Author: School Bot

03.11.10 10:39 AM

With April 15 just around the corner, the students who make up Cal State Northridge’s Wayne and Robert Colmer Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program want to remind the public that they are available to help members of the community prepare their taxes.

The VITA program is providing free assistance with state and federal income tax preparation to low-income families and individuals, non-English speakers, senior citizens and the disabled through April at sites throughout the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles.

“Our last day is April 1, so everyone really needs to get to one of our sites soon if they want us to do their taxes for free,” said Donna Watkins, a certified public accountant and coordinator of CSUN’s VITA program.

For a list of CSUN VITA locations and the dates and times students will be able to provide tax preparation assistance, visit VITA’s Web site at www.csun.edu/vita.

Due to the large volume of individuals who require assistance, the maximum gross income limitation per income tax return has been set at $50,000.

This year, 265 Northridge students underwent intensive training on handling federal and state tax returns. In addition to providing a service to the community, the VITA program also gives the Northridge students an opportunity gain knowledge and experience in their field of study.

Formed in 1971, the VITA program serves as a valuable community partner that is responsive to the need to a culturally diverse San Fernando Valley. For more information about the program, call (818) 677-4519.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/tax-help/

03.11.10 12:52 PM

Cal State Northridge has received $64,000 from the U.S. Treasury Department to support the activities of CSUN’s Bookstein Tax Clinic and the clinic’s service in the community.

The Bookstein Tax Clinic provides free federal tax controversy, or tax dispute, services to low-income taxpayers residing in the Los Angeles area. The clinic opened in 2008 as a component of CSUN’s Bookstein Institute for Higher Education in Taxation in Northridge’s College of Business and Economics.

“With the increased financial distress of many in our community over the past year, we have witnessed a tremendous increase in the demand for the services the Bookstein Tax Clinic offers to the public,” said Rafi Efrat, director of the clinic and professor of taxation in CSUN’s Department of Accounting and Information Systems. “I was delighted to learn that the Bookstein Tax Clinic has been chosen by the Treasury Department to receive this grant. It will allow us to increase the level of services we offer the public at this time of need.”

Under the supervision of an experience tax professional, student clinicians—undergraduate and graduate students—serve low-income taxpayers who find themselves in a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service. In 2009 alone, Northridge students helped more than 110 low-income clients work out tax controversy resolutions with the IRS.

The Bookstein Tax Clinic also provides tax education to taxpayers not proficient in the English language by participating in numerous community-outreach programs on a wide array of tax issues. Over the past year, students also facilitated more than 35 seminars and workshops to self-employed taxpayers and low-income individuals throughout the Los Angeles area, primarily on federal payroll tax issues. As part of their community service efforts, the students also have authored several short articles on tax issues affecting low-income taxpayers. Several of these articles, including some in Spanish, have appeared in local newspapers.

The student clinicians receive instruction on the intricacies of tax law and tax practice and procedure. The students are given an opportunity to handle various aspects of controversies with the Internal Revenue Service, including interviewing clients, preparing cases for appeals conferences and appearing at the conferences, preparing offers-in-compromise and negotiating settlements with the IRS.

For more information about the Bookstein Tax Clinic, call (818) 677-3600 or visit CSUN’s Department of Accounting and Information Systems’ Web site at http://csun.edu/acctis/.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/bookstein/

03.11.10 03:04 PM

Cleveland High School

03.10.10 12:28 PM

Cleveland High School

03.10.10 01:25 PM

Students who need to serve detention can work for 3 hours and clear 3 detentions.
Students needing community service hours can work from 9-12 and earn 3 hours.
Arrive by 9:00 am and sign in with Mrs Donner.

Chatsworth High School …

03.10.10 06:53 AM

Canoga graduate Barney Burman (class of ’84) won an Oscar at the Academy Awards Sunday night for Best Achievement in Make-up for the movie Star Trek.

Canoga Park High School

03.08.10 12:08 PM

Cleveland High School

03.08.10 02:22 PM

Pierce College’s musical groups will be celebrating winter’s end and the start of spring with three concerts in the coming weeks. The low-cost or free concerts are open to everyone and promise a good time for lovers of live music and performance.

The shows are as follows:

• Pierce College Jazz Band Winter Concert, 3 p.m. Sunday, March 14 at Jazzbones in Tacoma. Tickets are $5 at the door.

• Pierce College Concert Band and the Fort Steilacoom Choir with special guest the Olympic College Chamber Choir, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, at Lagerquist Hall at Pacific Lutheran University. Tickets are $5 at the door. The concert will include a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” as well as a local premiere of the “Don Quixote Symphony #3” for concert band by Robert Smith.

•Pierce College Concert and College Choirs and Orchestra Winter Concert, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, at the First Presbyterian Church in Puyallup. This concert is free. The program includes a piano concerto, jazz pieces, songs from Italy, Spain, and Korea, and a musical tribute honoring the victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile.

For more information on the music programs at Pierce College, visit the website at http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/music.

http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/news/?p=947

03.08.10 01:25 PM

The scene opens on a family at dinner. Each member is lost in his or her own world – listening to music, reading a magazine or staring off into space. In a corner of the room sits a laptop open to the image of a man typing away on his own computer. Glancing up at the camera, the man says, “If you don’t talk to your children, I will.”

The 30-second public service announcement, created by a team of Cal State Northridge faculty, students and alumni, is a stark reminder of the importance of parents taking advantage of every opportunity to talk to their children.

Commissioned by the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN), the ad is scheduled to air this month on television stations across the state of California and talks are in the works for national television distribution. ICAN includes the offices of the United States Attorney and the FBI as well as the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

“This is probably one of the most effective pieces of media that reminds families and children of the dangers of the Internet. In particular, it serves as a reminder of their responsibility to talk to their children about what’s going on in their lives and the dangers they should be watching out for,” said cinema and television arts professor Nate Thomas, who heads the CSUN team that produced the spot. “Everyone who worked on this project, from our students and staff to our alumni, felt this was an important message that needed to get out there, and they were more than willing to do what they could to help.”

ICAN’s Cyber Crime Prevention Task Force was preparing to search for a company to make the public service announcement when its budget for the project was slashed. Looking for an agency that would take on the project pro bono, someone recommended that members of the task force contact Thomas. He and his friend, actor Tim Russ, own a production company that specializes in public service announcements.

Thomas quickly agreed to take on the task, sensing an opportunity to put the skills of several of his senior students to work on a professional project that could get national exposure. He had about three weeks to make the ad, and no budget. So, Thomas tapped into Northridge’s deep well of alumni now working in the entertainment industry for help.

On the set of 'Family Dinner.'

Alumnus Dale Launer, writer and producer of such films as “My Cousin Vinny,” “Blind Date,” “Ruthless People” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” loaned the project state-of-the-art Red Camera equipment. Alum Scott Dropkin, a steadicam operator and owner, loaned Stedicam equipment and his services pro bono. Cinematographer Richard Ollis, a member of CSUN’s cinema and television arts faculty, volunteered his time as well.

“We didn’t have a lot of time, and no money, but that didn’t matter,” Thomas said. “Everyone was excited and willing to help when they realized the spot was about cyber crimes. Plus, everyone thought it’d be cool to work with the FBI.”

The completed public service announcement has drawn praise from the ICAN Cyber Crime Prevention Task force and earned special recognition from FBI Director Robert Mueller for members of the CSUN team that worked on it, including students Lhennards Acuna, Alex Agabon, Suzaine Aguirre, Billy Dickson Jr., Elicia Moreno, Alicia Verela, Alysia Wang and music student Maggie Bigelow as well as staff and faculty members Thomas, Ollis, Michael Bryant, Michael Hoggan, George Johnson, Joe Schwartz and William Wilson.

“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate everything professor Nate Thomas did to make the ‘Family Dinner’ public service announcement happen, especially on such short notice and on a strictly volunteer basis,” said assistant United States Attorney Lisa E. Feldman. “His CSUN team has created an important—and memorable—public service message that will undoubtedly have a significant impact in the community.

“We are proud of the public service announcement and it is our hope that it will air nationwide,” Feldman said. “We hope to work with professor Thomas again on future projects promoting the safety of children.”

Tracy Webb, managing attorney and director of child abuse policy for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, also applauded the CSUN team’s work on the ad.

“Cyber crime and child abuse continue to be an epidemic throughout Los Angeles, with the potential for electronic crimes against children growing every day,” she said. “The potential to protect another child from further abuse through this PSA produced by professor Thomas and his CSUN team cannot be underestimated. The patience and professionalism shown by the CSUN team is a testament to the caliber of the faculty and students at Cal State Northridge.”

Thomas is proud of the public service announcement he and his CSUN team created.

“People need to realize that just because there’s a lack of money does not mean something can’t be done,” he said. “In this instance, a lack of money presented an opportunity for our students to work with law enforcement professionals on a project with a message that needs to get out there, and a project that they can be proud of.”

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/family-dinner/

03.05.10 02:02 PM

The diverse art of local Korean artists is being featured in the spring gallery show at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. The show will run through April 25.

Featured artists include:

• Jennifer Kwon, of Bellevue, textiles;

• Hannah R. Ra, of Bothell, painting;

• Myong Lee, of Redmond, watercolor;

• Hyang L. Kim, of Bellevue, oil on linen;

• Kyong Oh, of Bellevue, oil on canvas;

• Lorraine Toler, of Tacoma, history and heritage painting;

• Jade Choe, of Edgewood, watercolor;

• Bella Yongok Kim, of Gig Harbor, mixed media and fabric.

The Fine Arts Gallery is located at Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon Friday.

For more information, call Gallery Director Jennifer Olson-Rudenko at (253) 964-6535 or visit the Web site at http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/art.

http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/news/?p=943

03.04.10 04:00 PM

Date: 3/5/2010COME OUT AND SUPPORT!

Granada Hills Charter…

03.04.10 04:00 PM

Date: 3/5/2010Student Council raises $3256!

Granada Hills Charter…

03.05.10 11:59 AM

Please send your PTSA memberships to school by Tuesday to help your child’s academy be eligible for the cash award. Also all seniors who are planning on applying for PTSA or Booster club scholarships must turn in their envelopes by Tuesday.

Chatsworth High School …

03.04.10 09:39 PM

Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester issued the following statement late Thursday night following the arrest of five individuals during an off-campus demonstration that came on the heels of a peaceful rally at the university earlier in the day:

Today in California, large numbers of people across the state participated in actions to bring attention to the importance of the state’s investment in education. Large numbers of students, faculty, and staff at California State University, Northridge participated in peaceful demonstrations on campus and expressed in a highly positive way their concerns and deeply held beliefs about the importance of access to higher education. Unfortunately, a smaller group chose to use tactics off campus that were disruptive to our neighbors and to the larger community.

As a university, we hold as core values open dialogue and the free and respectful expression of differing points of view. I am heartened that on this day so many members of our campus community found positive expression for the value of higher education.* But I’m also disturbed and saddened by the less responsible actions of a few. I want to again acknowledge the widespread expressions of support for higher education in the state of California that we witnessed. That is the primary message of this day.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/c…ent-statement/

03.04.10 10:08 AM

Diane Davis spent the last five years of her life fighting for the rights of those who had undergone laryngectomies—providing support, education and friendship. She died in August 2009 after a 14-year battle with throat and neck cancer.

However, her legacy and memory will forever remain alive thanks to her husband, Joel Davis, who recently made a $10,000 donation to Cal State Northridge to establish the Diane Davis Endowment for Communication Disorders and Sciences Education.

Diane Davis

“Hopefully this memorial endowment honoring her memory and the involvement in the club that she so loved and nurtured will inspire CSUN’s graduate clinicians to be more knowledgeable in laryngectomee issues,” said Davis after his presentation last week of the gift to College of Health and Human Development Dean Sylvia Alva, Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences Chair Stephen Sinclair and Language, Speech and Hearing Center Clinic Coordinator Janice Woolsey.

The endowment will be used to support the creation of experiential and academic learning opportunities for CSUN students who wish to work with patients who are overcoming speech and language deficits like laryngectomees. A laryngectomy is the removal of the larynx and separation of the airway from the mouth, nose and esophagus.

The Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences is one of the largest academic programs of its kind in the United States, training one in every four master’s level speech pathologists in California. Completion of a bachelor’s and master’s degree enables students to practice in audiology or speech-language pathology in medical, rehabilitative or private practice settings—helping laryngectomees learn new ways to communicate and educating others who work with these patients.

“This is an example of how allied health fields really do make a difference in the quality of people’s lives,” said Dean Alva. “We are really touched by the gift.”

Davis underwent laryngectomy surgery in 2005, becoming one of approximately 50,000 laryngectomees in the United States, according to the International Association of Laryngectomees. The Thousand Oaks advertising and marketing executive was the president of The Laryngectomee Connection, a support group to help improve the lives of laryngectomees based in Mission Hills.

Joel Davis said he chose to make the endowment to CSUN because of the department’s reputation and influence on the speech pathology community.

“I thought this was the kind of place where we could leave a thumbprint,” Davis said.

The department has pledged to conduct community service each year in memory of Diane Davis. The first project is to distribute wallet-size cards to laryngectomees, paramedics and others that provide instruction on how to perform life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Davis said this project is particularly touching because his wife nearly died when a paramedic did not know how to administer CPR to her.

“This could be life-changing,” said Russ O’Neil, a member of Davis’ laryngectomee connection who attended the presentation. He said CSUN could play a pivotal role in “transforming” the lives of laryngectomees.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/davis-endowment/

03.04.10 10:37 AM

The Parent Center is offering a program to teach parents how to navigate high school and college. There will be nine weeks of coursework. All are welcome!

Canoga Park High School

03.03.10 10:51 AM

The 2010-11 budget proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to restore $305 million to the California State University base budget and provide an additional $60.6 million for enrollment growth, if approved by the legislature, will help to ensure the success of regionally focused public universities up and down the state, according to California State University, Northridge President Jolene Koester.

“The job of this campus is to remain focused on the needs of the students and employers right here in our four-valley region, and to ensure that we provide high-quality degree offerings and cultural enrichment on behalf of this community,” Koester said. “I think we lose sight of the reality that our students are the future managers, engineers, entertainers, accountants, entrepreneurs, educators and health professionals whom we all will depend on for a good quality of life down the road. It is vital that we maintain a high level of investment in our future.”

President Koester’s comments, made to a small group of donors and friends of Cal State Northridge at a series called “Discover Northridge,” echoed those made recently by California State University Chancellor Charles Reed.

“We commend the governor for his renewed investment in the California State University,” Reed said. “If adopted by the legislature, this budget will allow us to begin restoring student access to our university. In this extremely difficult budget climate, we appreciate the governor making higher education a priority.

“While we are still faced with challenging circumstances, this reinvestment will help start the CSU on the path to recovery,” he said.

California State University, Northridge has more than 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 66 bachelor’s and 53 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/g…2%80%99s-plan/

03.02.10 11:01 AM

Cal State Northridge officials have announced the election of three new members to the university’s Foundation Board of Directors.

The board’s newest members are Wayne R. Bailey, a retired banking executive and community leader; Robert Derek Taylor, a founding partner of Centinela Capital Partners, LLC, an independent alternative investment management firm; and Varaz Shahmirian, president and principal of Laursar Technologies, which provides consulting services to the medical device industry.

“The addition of these outstanding business and community leaders will enable the Foundation to further its mission of providing visibility within the broader community and increased financial support to the university, and especially our students, at a time of significant economic duress,” said Vance T. Peterson, CSUN’s vice president for University Advancement and president of the Foundation.

As a non-profit auxiliary of California State University, Northridge, the Foundation receives and oversees the management of private donations to the university. Among its roles is to raise money for the enhancement and support of programs that would not normally be funded by the state.

The newest members of the Foundation Board include:

Wayne R. Bailey

• Wayne R. Bailey ’77 (Economics), started his 30-year banking career at Bank of America as a teller and ended it as a vice president. In 1986, Bailey left Bank of America to become vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer of Fremont General Corporation, a Santa Monica-based financial services holding company. Over the next two decades, Bailey rose to become Fremont’s executive vice president and chief operating officer of its retail branch deposit network and residential real estate mortgage servicing business.

Bailey is currently a trustee of Westmark School in Encino, a school that serves students with learning differences. Westmark has strong ties with CSUN’s Michael D. Eisner College of Education. Bailey also is on the board of Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino.

• Before forming Lausar Technologies, Varaz Shahmirian worked as an engineering director at Medtronic from 1996 to August 2009. Prior to that, he was senior scientist at Siemens Medical Systems and senior applications engineer at Signal Technology. He also was an assistant professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1989.

Shahmirian is a board member and past president of the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America, which focuses on the professional, technical and scientific needs of people of Armenian descent throughout the world, and of the ARPA Institute, which promotes consulting, analysis, research and planning services in education, economics, policy, health and technology between the Republic of Armenia and the United States.

Robert Taylor

• Prior to founding Centinela Capital Partners, Robert Derek Taylor ’82 (Engineering), was managing director and co-founder of Blue Capital Management, a middle market private equity firm. He started his career with McKinsey & Company in 1986. During his 11-year tenure with the firm, Taylor helped chief executives address strategic, operational and organizational issues in a variety of industries including health care, insurance, entertainment and hospitality.

Taylor currently serves on the board of directors of Frontier Airlines, Inc. He is senior vice chairman and is a board member of the National Urban League and the Los Angeles Urban League. He has previously served on the board of the California Science Center as well as the Boards of Visitors of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Stanford Law School.

California State University, Northridge has more than 33,000 full- and part-time students and offers 66 bachelor’s and 53 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and is the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/foundation-board-2/

03.02.10 03:15 PM

The China Institute and the Chinese Student Association (CSA) at Cal State Northridge invite students, staff, faculty, family, friends and the community to a special Chinese New Year’s banquet later this month to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.

The event, scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 20, from 6 to 9 p.m., will be held at the Grand Salon in the University Student Union on the east side of campus located on 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

The celebration will include special performances from Master Qian of the Shanghai Opera Academy, CSUN’s Women’s Chorale, CSA Performers and artists from the community as well as holiday food from L.A Buffet.

The China Institute has hosted hundreds of visiting scholars from more than 40 sister universities in China. Currently, more than 300 Chinese students and scholars are studying at CSUN in different programs, including an innovative 2+2 program where students study in a Chinese university for the first two years, then spend their junior and senior year at CSUN. Upon completion of their studies, the students receive two bachelor’s degrees, one from the Chinese university and one from CSUN.

“The China Institute is committed to promoting the development of friendship, understanding, collaboration and exchange between CSUN and China,” said Justine Su, professor and director of CSUN’s China Institute. “We will work towards this goal in the new year with the ‘tiger’ spirit and courage.”

Over the years, the institute has hosted dozens of cultural events on campus, including the annual celebration of the Chinese New Year on campus for its members, as well as CSUN faculty, students, administrators and friends from the local community.

As part of the annual celebration, faculty at CSUN with an interest in China are invited to apply for initial seed money from the China Institute to start a project in their discipline that advances the field of China Studies or promotes long-term exchange and collaboration for faculty and students. Applicants should explain how this grant may stimulate larger and longer range projects. There will be two grants of $1,000 each, which can be used to support travel expenses for faculty’s visit to China to conduct their projects.

For more information on the banquet or the faculty development program, e-mail Justine Su at [email protected].

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/tiger/

03.01.10 05:30 PM

Cal State Northridge Intercollegiate Athletics, as part of campus-wide reductions to help deal with the on-going campus and statewide financial crisis, will discontinue its men’s and women’s swim program at the conclusion of the 2009-10 academic year.

“This decision was very difficult to make” said Rick Mazzuto, Director of Athletics. “However, after a thorough and in-depth budget review, it is clear that the University can no longer continue to support the number of sports we currently sponsor. It is painful, but the sports program is suffering the same cuts that are occurring throughout California and across our campus.”

The move to discontinue men’s and women’s swimming will reduce the number of intercollegiate sports supported by Cal State Northridge to 18 (8 men’s, 10 women’s) which still ranks in the upper half of the Big West Conference members in terms of team sponsorship.

“We regret the University must take this action that results from severe budget reductions affecting the entire University community. The announcement today is a significant decision to ensure the long-term sustainability of our Intercollegiate Athletics programs,” said Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester.

Undergraduate student-athletes now on the men’s and women’s rosters who are receiving athletics scholarships will retain aid until their athletic eligibility expires. The CSUN Athletic Department will provide the student-athletes with assistance should they decide to transfer to another university or college.

http://blogs.csun.edu/news/2010/03/swimming/